Song Chuning didn’t know why she had ended up at this point. Although she truly hadn’t lived well and truly didn’t want to live, there was a world of difference between not wanting to live and being forced to death by others.
She had thought her life’s trajectory would follow her dream—coldly watching Song Chuyi flip and bounce in the palm of her hand, living according to her will. First arrogant and domineering, enjoying all blessings to the fullest, then falling from grace in an instant, trampled from the clouds into the mud, never to rise again.
Thinking this, she raised both hands to look at them.
A young woman’s palms were soft and smooth, the lines in her palms intricately intertwined. She carefully studied her life line. Master Yuanhui had once said this was an extremely noble life line, meant for smooth sailing throughout her life.
And indeed, if things had followed her dream, she would have had smooth sailing her whole life. The only difficulties would have been pretending to be wronged and subservient before Song Chuyi for those early years. After those few years, Song Chuyi would be nothing more than an ant in her palm—she could crush her if she wanted, mold her round or flat, good or bad, all depending on her single thought.
She still remembered clearly how in the dream she had used these hands to choke Song Chuyi’s neck, how she had cast Song Chuyi from heaven into hell, how she had made Song Chuyi wish she were dead, living out her life as a walking corpse.
But the events so vivid in her dream, as if they had truly happened once before, ultimately never came true.
Song Chuyi didn’t walk the path she and her mother had set for her. It was as if she had become a different person overnight, retracting her claws and fangs, transforming from recklessly domineering to measured and proper. The arrogance in her brows and eyes dissipated completely. Step by step, she climbed up by relying on Old Madam Song and Old Master Song, no longer needing to depend on Song Yi, no longer needing to curry favor before Li Shi.
Then she began to advance methodically, seizing upon Li Shi’s mistakes, gradually beating Li Shi until she had no ability to fight back, driving a wedge between Li Shi and herself, until finally using Cui Shi’s death to deliver the fatal blow.
Song Chuning’s lips turned pale. She glanced once more at the lines in her palm and closed her eyes again, accepting the hot tea handed over by the new maid and slowly taking a sip.
But it didn’t matter, it didn’t matter. There was still a chance to start over.
Wei Yanxi came in from outside, coughed once, and said to her, “Time is tight. Although we’ve been discreet, we’re afraid news might leak, so it’s best to leave the city tonight. Once we’re away from Tongzhou and switch to the waterway, we’ll be safe.”
Song Chuning nodded expressionlessly. She rarely had a kind tone for these people who had never appeared in her dream. After thinking for a moment, she asked him, “Is there any movement from that side?”
Song Chuyi couldn’t possibly let her live. The fact that Nanny Sun had poisoned her already demonstrated Song Chuyi’s viciousness quite well. This legitimate elder sister who had been so foolish that one felt she could be toppled without any effort had already rapidly grown and transformed into what seemed like a completely different person.
Wei Yanxi shook his head. He was rather pleased about this point. “Our Young Master has already arranged everything. Even if that side suspects something, they shouldn’t be suspicious…” He frowned, thinking for a moment. “I’m just speaking of the worst case scenario—don’t take it too much to heart.”
Han Zhi had repeatedly instructed him to be polite to this young lady, so he truly was very polite to her.
Song Chuning still felt somewhat uneasy, but she couldn’t quite say where this uneasiness came from. She made a sound of acknowledgment. “Then I’ll trouble you to arrange the rest of the journey.”
It wasn’t just Song Chuyi who had been the Duke’s wife for over twenty years—she too had been the Duke’s wife for decades, seeing far more and much further than Song Chuyi. Her value had always been higher than Song Chuyi’s.
Whether to people like Prince Gong or to Shen Qingrang.
The corners of Song Chuning’s lips curved slightly, holding a mocking smile.
Did Song Chuyi think that having the Song family as backing, that coaxing those Song family members into submission meant everything would be fine? She would not let her have her wish. It had always been like this since childhood—whatever Song Chuyi liked, she would snatch away. If she truly couldn’t snatch it, then she would simply destroy it.
After all, she had no feelings whatsoever for those Song family people.
Wei Yanxi understood she was reminding him to still arrange things carefully, and solemnly agreed. It was rare for Han Zhi to be so serious and attentive about something. After receiving this young lady’s letter, he had directly changed course to Qingzhou, making indirect inquiries all along the way about that supposedly somewhat strange Miss Song the Sixth. After returning to the capital, he had tried every means to help this young lady escape, devising a fake death plan to secretly switch her out, intending to send her to Jiangnan.
He had people arrange for food to be sent in, then personally sent people to negotiate prices with the boatmen at the docks, planning to depart at dawn the next day. Once they left Tongzhou, they would be safe.
That night the rain fell extremely heavily. He always felt somewhat uneasy in his heart. This matter had been handled very discreetly, so he hadn’t brought many people—altogether just over twenty, disguised as an official’s family escorting a young lady home. If they truly encountered tough opponents, these people would be no match.
Song Chuning likewise tossed and turned, unable to sleep. The maid was newly added by these people and knew nothing, making her awkward to command. Even the tea was bitter and hard to swallow. The rain outside grew heavier and heavier, beating against the windows and making it difficult to fall asleep.
It seemed that ever since Song Chuyi had changed into a different person, her days had never gone smoothly—whether it was her relationship with Li Shi or her closeness with Song Yi, there always seemed to be some kind of barrier. Later it got even worse—her mother died, her maternal grandmother was sent to a convent and had to labor every day. When she was following Song Yi in Changsha, she had already received news of her maternal grandmother’s death.
All of this was because of Song Chuyi! All because of Song Chuyi!
She glared wide-eyed and angrily swept the teacup from the table beside her. Standing up, she paced in circles, feeling quite agitated.
At this very moment, the little maid drowsily began to snore. An untrained maid snoring sounded just like the intermittent thunder rumbling outside, giving one a splitting headache.
Unable to bear it any longer, she reached out and scratched the maid’s face with her nails, waking her up. Only after the maid got up in fear and trepidation to apologize and admit her fault did she feel somewhat better. She coldly ordered, “Prepare brush and ink for me!”
She couldn’t go to Jiangnan doing nothing—otherwise she would surely suffocate. She had to do something.
She was a useful person, and this usefulness was different from Song Chuyi’s. That fool Song Chuyi only knew how to push people like Prince Gong away, but she was different.
She knew that in the end Prince Gong would ascend to the throne, knew that Han Zhi would ultimately become the Commander of the Imperial Guard, becoming a favored person before Prince Gong.
She wanted to grasp all these people firmly in her hands. She wanted to fully unleash her value once again, to send the Song family down the road to the Yellow Springs, to trample Song Chuyi beneath her feet.
In her dream, Song Chuyi had been nothing but an ant who could only survive those extra few years by her charity. Then in reality, she would likewise make Song Chuyi forever dependent on others.
This wasn’t even difficult. As long as she got past today, as long as she boarded the boat at the docks, she could smile and watch how the Song family would ultimately meet misfortune. Not just the Song family—even Consort Song in the palace…
Thinking of how these people ended up in her dream, she couldn’t help but laugh aloud.
They would all die—these people, every single one of them would die!
She racked her brains, writing into the letter all the events that would happen in the future, all of the Song family’s network of connections. Only when the sky was about to lighten did she order someone to wake Wei Yanxi.
“First send someone with a letter.” Having not slept all night, Song Chuning’s lips were somewhat dry and peeling, and dark circles had formed under her eyes. But her eyes were exceptionally bright, staring intently at Wei Yanxi as she solemnly instructed again, “Right now, have someone go ahead first and deliver the letter. This letter is in duplicate—send one copy to your Young Master, send one copy to Prince Gong. Be quick.”
Even now, she still believed Han Zhi was Prince Gong’s man—otherwise, after Prince Gong ascended the throne, he wouldn’t have relied so heavily on Han Zhi. Although Han Zhi was also the maternal cousin of the Eastern Palace’s Prince Dongping, every family had a pile of such relatives. If everyone worried about family sentiments, there wouldn’t be all this fratricide.
Wei Yanxi couldn’t quite describe his feelings about this mystifying Miss Song, but since she was so urgent, he nodded in agreement—he didn’t know why either, but he truly hadn’t slept soundly this night. He always felt as if he had overlooked something, always felt as if danger lay ahead. There was a strange uneasiness in his heart. Having someone send a letter to the Young Master to dispatch more manpower was indeed a good choice.
After finishing these tasks, the sky had already brightened considerably. Countless rays of light poured through the windows, dispelling the gloom of night. Wei Yanxi breathed a slight sigh of relief. “It’s already somewhat late. Shall we set out?”
Song Chuning had no objection. But after leaving the residence and walking forward for a stretch, she felt something was wrong. She frowned and called Wei Yanxi over. “Something’s not right.” She lifted the curtain and glanced at the small path where farmers carrying hoes occasionally walked past, then said to Wei Yanxi, “This isn’t the busy farming season, and last night such a heavy rain just fell. Look at those dark clouds overhead again. Common people are best at reading the weather—so why are they running out one after another instead?”